To achieve optimal performance, entities want to be able to continuously reduce inventory, while still having enough to satisfy every demand at any given time. Supply chain management is the concept utilized to minimize overhead, maximize performance while timely and efficiently meeting all demands. Supply chain management looks at all the things that one needs to do to control the business process across the entire supply chain.
When managing a supply chain, one needs to know such things as how much quantity is needed on hand of an item to supply any given demand. This requires knowing the supplier's lead time, knowing the transportation options, how long it takes to get the item, how much it costs, how fast it is sold or used, and the like. For example, one may know how many memory chips are currently on hand. However, to optimize performance, one needs to know how many, of a particular speed, latency and capacity, will be available from one's supplier in two days so that one can meet their demands next week.
The prior art allows the user to see a peg between a specific purchase order and production job, or requisition and receiving slip, or the like. However, no system currently allows the user to link all the peggings together to see a complete end-to-end pegging scenario. The inability to obtain a complete pegging scenario results in inefficiencies. For example, a requisition may peg a demand for a component to the component received from a vendor. However, someone must decide who gets the component and for what job, the work order, whether to route the item to an inventory location or manufacturing location, and the like. Current methods also do not provide sufficient granular details. Therefore, decision makers do not readily have information necessary to make the best decision possible. Without a complete end-to-end pegging, the supply chain is subject to contentions between competing demands. Furthermore, current methods are not effective for scheduling tasks and materials. Thus the need exists to be able to create a complete end-to-end pegging scenario.